08/30/2001A Battle Of Nationally Ranked Teams Marks Start Of The 2001 Football Season

After winning the NJCAA Region III title last
season, Hudson Valley Community College's football team begins its 2001
campaign on the road against the No. 11 team in the nation. The Vikings,
ranked 25th among junior colleges, travel to Lackawanna College (Scranton,
PA) Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. Northeast Football Conference (NFC) matchup.
The game will be played at Pittston Area High School Stadium.

Hudson Valley won five of its final six games
in 2000, finishing the season with a 6-3 record and giving head coach Bob
Jojo a 15-10 mark in three years. Lackawanna went on to post a 10-1 record,
losing only to Middle Georgia in the Golden Isles Bowl in Georgia. The
Fightin' Falcons also won the NFC crown.

"It's always a good game when we play Lackawanna,"
Jojo said. "We've got some great returning players, and we tend to match
up very well with them. It'll be an exciting way to kick off the season."

On defense, second-year inside linebacker Gary
Smith (Concord High, DE) is expected to lead the way. Smith, who stands
5-foot-11 and weighs 218 pounds, had 57 tackles and two sacks last year.
Other defensive returnees include defensive end La'Ronn Paulk (Corcoran
High, NJ), who had a team-high 6.5 sacks in 2000, and outside linebacker
Casey Bardin (Corinth Central High), who contributed 24 tackles
and one sack last year. Bardin had an interception in a scrimmage against
RPI on August 25.

"This is probably the least experience we've
had since I've been here," said Mark Duda, who is heading into his eighth
season as Lackawanna's coach. "We're extremely young. I think we're going
to be a little further behind at this stage than we were a year ago."

The Vikings are 0-4 against Lackawanna.

"We'll be looking to turn that around," Jojo
said. "I wouldn't call this a must-win game, but the competition in the
Northeast Football Conference is getting better each year, and you can't
afford to give any games away. Getting a victory here would be the perfect
way to start off the season."

Hudson Valley's football program was established
in 1969. At the time, Hudson Valley was one of only two junior colleges
in New York to field a varsity football team. Since then, nearly 300 Hudson
Valley football players have earned scholarships to four-year schools and
15 have gone on to play professionally. The Vikings competed in the Coca
Cola Bowl in Iowa in 1980. In 1996, Hudson Valley posted an 8-0 record,
part of a dominant stretch that included 15 straight victories.